Max wasn't happy.

This had to be one of the biggest scandals to hit the Dauntless faction since the head leader got caught sleeping with initiates in exchange for status bump ups ten years before.

"What were you even thinking?" Max growled at his lesser.

"You think I'm happy about this?" Eric hissed back.

"Don't speak to me unless I tell you to do so!" Max growled at him. "And as for this little escapade, it ends here."

Max picked up the phone on the wall and dialed the number for the infirmary.

Eric looked over to him, angry and confused.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Fixing your little problem." Max replied. "We're getting rid of that thing, and we're doing it now."

"I don't think so." Eric spoke up.

Max turned quickly and threw him a deadly glare.

"You'll do it or you'll live factionless." He threatened him.

"Not this way." Eric growled at him. "I'll place it up for adoption. Anything less than that and you've lost a leader. A damn good one too."

Max rolled his eyes. "I don't see why you'd care at all." He sighed, putting the phone up again.

"It's part of me isn't it?" Eric replied.

"The cold hearted, beastly Eric Coulter, turned soft and weak by a little abomination..." Max chuckled as he left Eric's apartment.

Eric wanted to fight back on that statement but he knew that he couldn't. He would be punished for that without a hint of doubt.

But why did he even care?

Even he didn't know the answer to that one. But he did. A lot. That wasn't normal at all for him.

Four was rubbing off on him. Great.

"I'd go let your little lover boy know about this." Max growled, heading for the door.

"No!" Eric stopped him. "Let me. He'll take it better that way."

"Suddenly you care about others as well?" Max chuckled. "Eric I really do wonder what's gotten into you."

"That should be obvious." Eric growled back.

Max dismissed the comment and left the room, still very angry and frustrated with the younger Dauntless.

But why should Eric care? Why should he care about any of this?

He didn't have an answer for that.

...

Four was woken from a deep sleep way too early that morning.

"I'm coming!" He yelled to whoever was knocking like a fucking maniac at his door.

He didn't expect to see Eric when he opened the door, but then again he probably should have.

Who else would intrude on him at this hour? Nobody half way sane, that was for sure.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Eric growled out at him. "I hope your morning is going as well as mine."

"Well actually it was going fine until you put your ugly mug in the picture." Four sassed in return.

"Ugly? Well now that's not what you thought last time we got together is it?" Eric grinned at him, daring him to fire back.

How he loved their little games.

"Shut up and tell me what you want." Four sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

"Sure." Eric agreed. "I hope you weren't planning on going back to bed anytime soon, though."

"Whys that?" Four asked with a yawn.

"Because, my darling stiff, this discussion may take awhile if my calculations are correct."

Four frowned and stepped out of the doorway.

"Fucking come in then I guess." He growled. "Don't touch anything important."

"Me?" Eric grinned maliciously. "I'd never."

Four eyed him carefully as the Dauntless leader entered the apartment.

"You hire a maid, Stiff?" Eric asked, strolling around the room casually. "Looks too clean to be yours."

"No." Four replied simply, sitting down on the couch, still keeping his eyes firmly on Eric as the other man seemed to inspect every inch of the room.

"Then that little stiff has been here hasn't she?" Eric sent him an evil smirk.

"Shut up." Four growled.

"Don't give me that shit. I've seen the eyes you make at her." Eric scoffed.

"You don't know anything about me." Four replied coldly.

"I know how good your cock feels inside me don't I?" Eric chuckled.

"Shut up." Four growled again, taking a sip from his drink.

"Don't pretend that wasn't the best damn night of your sorry life." Eric sighed, taking a seat on the lounge chair opposite Four.

"What the hell did you come here for anyway?" Four asked, not looking up from his drink. He didn't even want to look at Eric.

"I've got some news for you." Eric told him.

"What kind of news?" Four asked, leaning back against the couch, drink in hand, trying to get comfortable. As comfortable as he could with Eric there anyway, which was quite the task.

"Well I don't think you'd call it good news." Eric said, rolling his eyes at the question. "But I guess it depends on how you look at it."

"Spill." Four demanded, tired of Eric's dancing around the point of this little visit.

"You're gonna be a dad, Stiff." Eric said, full of surprising confidence.

Four was taken aback by the statement.

"What?" He asked.

"I said you're gonna be a Dad." Eric repeated.

"Get out." Four growled.

"Well that's a little rude don't you think?" Eric asked. "I mean I am the carrier of your little hell spawn, am I not?"

"Don't give me that shit, Eric!" Four growled at him, jumping up from the couch. "I wore a fucking condom!"

"Yeah, well, you know that doesn't always work. Does it, Stiff?" Eric replied, calmly retaining his spot on the chair he'd been lounging in.

"Fuck you..." Four growled, walking away.

"You already did, Stiff." Eric retaliated. "That's why we're in this mess, remember?"

Four slammed the door behind him as he left the apartment.

Eric sighed and took what was left of the other man's drink for himself.

...

"You look rough." Christina commented as she plopped down next to Tris at the only empty table they could find.

"I was up most of the night." Tris replied, filling her plate. Training all night could really make a girl hungry.

"Where's loverboy?" Chris asked her with a smirk.

Tris gave her a look and she giggled back at her.

"I don't know why you think..."

"Tris!" A voice came from behind her before a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

Tris turned quickly, coming face to face with Four.

"What are you...?" She tried to ask.

"We need to talk." He told her. "Come on. Follow me." He dragged her up from the table and pulled her along, leaving Christina in laughing fit behind them.